This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the secure transfer of goods, i.e., to a method by which goods can be delivered to premises and securely stored in the absence of any person to receive the goods, or collected in the absence of any person.
A common irritation in today""s society is the need for a householder to be present to take delivery of goods when the time of delivery is frequently defined over a wide time band. With the rapidly-expanding use of the Internet and other distance selling means to place orders for goods, this situation is likely to occur even more frequently.
In U.S. Pat. No. 5,774,053 Porter there is a disclosure of a storage and delivery system in which goods are delivered into or collected from a storage enclosure having a lock controlled by a keypad; each vendor, such as a laundry business, a fast food outlet and a frozen food supplier, has a vendor code which is stored in a keypad controller. When a vendor enters a correct vendor code the enclosure is unlocked and goods can be collected or delivered.
Disadvantages of such an arrangement may be that a code is miskeyed so that the enclosure remains locked, and that dishonest persons can use a valid vendor code to open a container and steal the contents.
It is an object of the invention to provide a solution to the problem.
According to the invention a method for securely ordering and taking delivery of goods comprising the steps of:
a purchaser placing an order for goods with a supplier;
characterised by the supplier sending to the purchaser an unlock programming code associated with the goods and associating a visible representation of a related code with the goods;
the purchaser programming said unlock programming code into a programmable code reader means on an electronically lockable container accessible by a delivery driver;
the delivery driver entering the related unlock code on the programmable code reader means;
the programmable code reader means permitting the container to be opened;
the delivery driver placing the goods in the securable container; and
the container being once more electronically locked.
Thus the unlock code provided by the supplier is unique to each delivered item, and the risk of miskeying a code is eliminated because visible representations of the code are used.
Preferably the unlock code is a barcode and a copy of a related barcode is attached to the goods or the packaging for the goods. The related barcode can be identical to the unlock programming code, or can contain a different number of digits/elements. Usually the unlock programming code will contain more elements than the related code.
Also according to the invention, a secure container for delivery or collection of goods comprising a container having an electronic locking means; characterised by a barcode reader means arranged to read an externally-presented visible barcode; and a control circuit programmable to recognize an unlock code, arranged so that on presentation of said visible barcode to the barcode reader means, the electronic lock permits the container to be opened.